Wednesday, August 19, 2015

It wasn't that long ago that I noticed that several authors end up with multiple copies of their books, not only in English but also foreign languages. Which is awesome, until they look around and realize they really do not need 12 copies of each of their books in Mandarin or Russian.

So I did a bit of research and found a few places that would love donations. There are several refugee houses that provide multiple services to those who have recently entered the U.S. with very few belongings. Some of these are right on the West Coast. They are the ones I will list here, but if you don't live in the Pacific Northwest that might be a bit far for you to ship books. A helpful hint is to do a search for Refugee House or International Rescue, along with a location. You can also call your local schools and ask for the librarian. Librarians are usually thrilled to add to their library or put those books in the hands of kids who do not speak english as a foreign language as a gift.

If you live in the PNW here are a few places to call or email about donating along with the languages they have requested. Feel free to call for an updated list!

Tacoma Community House : Tacoma, WA
253-383-3951 and check out http://www.tacomacommunityhouse.org
Clients speak Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian & Vietnamese
Call or email them for the In-Kind giving form that they ask that you send with your donation

International Rescue Committee : SeaTac, WA (This organization has locations all over the U.S. so check out their website for the alternate locations)
206-431-0333 and check out http://www.rescue.org/us-program/us-seattle-wa
Clients speak Arabic, Nepali, Somali, Tigrinya, Eritrean, French, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin or other common languages.

Midwest Folks:

The Refugee Response : Ohio
206-236-3877 and check out http://therefugeeresponse.org
Contact Paul Neundorder at paul@refugeeresponse.org to ask about the languages they are seeking books in.